Windwards aim to make it two titles

Roseau, Dominica – Captain Liam Sebastien said it was an honour to lift the Clive Lloyd Trophy when the Windward Islands won the WICB Regional Super50 earlier this month.

He said it would be an equally amazing honour to hoist the Headley/Weekes Trophy – the prize for winning the Regional 4 Day Championship named in honour of batting legends George Headley and Sir Everton Weekes.

Sebastien, the reliable allrounder, led the Windwards to a superb capture of the limited-overs title when they beat Combined Campuses and Colleges at Kensington Oval.

Now, they face Barbados in the semi-finals of the Regional 4 Day tournament, starting Thursday at Windsor Park in Dominica. Windwards ended the preliminary round with 60 points – second behind Jamaica.

“It was an amazing honour to lift the Clive Lloyd Trophy at Kensington Oval after we beat CCC to win our first title in over a decade. That was a truly great feeling and memorable occasion. Now we want to get even better and win the four-day competition as well,” Sebastien told WICB Media.

“The team is full of confidence after the way we played in the 50-over tournament. It is amazing what winning can do for a team and a group of people. We expect good crowd support in Dominica where people are passionate about the game.

“First we face Barbados in the semi-finals and we are focusing on that match before we even start to think about the finals. We know that will be a tough contest. They have a good team, but we got the better of them in the first round and we believe we can do it again.”

The Windwards have been relying on the brilliance of their experienced players. Off-spinner Shane Shillingford was almost unplayable in the prelims and is the joint leading wicket-taker with 46 wickets in five matches.

The tournament’s leading batsman is Devon Smith, who has so far scored 682 runs at an impressive average of over 85 runs per innings. His top score of 150 not out came against Barbados at Kensington Oval.

“Shane and Smith have been very good and very reliable for us in all formats of the game. They are the most experienced players and have led the way. Every man has contributed to the team’s success and we will go into the match with confidence,” added Sebastien.